We all have that one friend who insists on flooding our phone with three-minute voice notes.
But the days of digging out your headphones to listen to these lengthy messages are finally a thing of the past.
WhatsApp has launched an update which means it will now transcribe your voice notes for you.
‘There’s something special about hearing your loved one’s voice even when you’re far away,’ WhatsApp said.
‘Though sometimes you’re on the move, in a loud place, or you receive a long voice message that you just can’t stop and listen.
‘For those moments we’re excited to introduce voice message transcripts.
‘Voice messages can be transcribed into text to help you keep up with conversations no matter what you’re doing.’
Here’s how you can try WhatsApp’s new voice message transcription tool.
WhatsApp first launched voice messages back in 2013, and it quickly became one of its most popular tools.
The feature is designed to allow users to instantly communicate with their contacts, and to deliver important and time-sensitive information.
However, many users find listening to voice messages difficult – particularly if they’re at work or on the go.
To help, WhatsApp has introduced the option to create transcriptions of any voice messages you receive.
To get started, simply open the WhatsApp app on your smartphone and navigate to Settings.
Select ‘Chats’ and you should see a new ‘Voice message transcripts’ option.
Here, you can easily turn transcriptions on or off, and select your transcript language.
Once you’ve toggled this on, you’ll be able to transcribe a voice message by long pressing on the message and tapping on ‘transcribe’.
‘We’re excited to build on this experience and make it even better and more seamless,’ WhatsApp said.
As with all messages sent and received on WhatsApp, your voice messages will remain end-to-end encrypted.
‘Transcripts are generated on your device so that no one else, not even WhatsApp, can hear or read your personal messages,’ WhatsApp reassured.
Transcripts are rolling out globally over the coming weeks with English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.
WhatsApp says its plans to add more languages ‘over the coming months’.
How to sign up to The Mail’s WhatsApp Channel
If you are reading this on your mobile web browser or in our mobile apps then simply click on this invite link to get Daily Mail Channels.
If you are reading this on desktop you can use your phone to scan the QR code and you’ll be taken to a page to join the Channel.
If you can’t see Channels in WhatsApp on your device, try updating WhatsApp via your app store. You will then need to close WhatsApp and then open it again.
Once you’ve joined The Mail’s channel, make sure you tap the bell icon at the top of the screen to receive notifications. (You can always turn them off later).
